Capitol Hill Blue Forums Hot Topics & Breaking News The RoundTable Hope was not enough for ReaderRant

My Facebook story.

Around 2011, there was a group of neighborhood peeps, men and women, who got together for extreme sports/exercise at various local parks. The only way to meet-up was to have access to the group Facebook account, because the location changed each meeting to keep the exercise fresh.

I created an account called Rick Brentwood. Rick for me, and Brentwood for the city I lived in. I also needed a FB account to comment on some political sites back then, Fine, whatever.

Then I moved to P-land and got a job with my current company. I signed on to FB once day as Rick Brentwood and immediately FB asked me if i knew this person and that person. The "problem" was, they were all people I worked with. The only way FB could have known where I worked is that even in 2014, the company payroll was 100% online. Not only did FB know what company I worked for, but even the branch because all of those names were at the branch location.

Then about two years ago, I needed to send a friend some money. All i had was PayPal and all he had was Venmo. Fine, I'll get a Venmo account. So I did. Immediately, Venmo asked me if I knew this person or that person. Again, all people from work, but this time, they were all former vanpool riders. I immediately took Venmo off my phone.


I'm sorry, but I'm just not into nosey, creepy, social media computers.


I now keep my vanpool contact list in notes, nothing is in my contacts, and I never get asked nosey questions by a computer.

----Which "you" are you talking about?

A lot of online forums have a "thermometer style" funding portal on their front page.
One of the popular forums I go to asks for $290 a month to pay for their servers, and they seem to meet it with ease every month.
The little "funding thermometer" shows where they are at. When they reach the $290 the whole thing goes away till the first of the next month.
I've even tossed a ten spot at them once in a while.

I'd gladly donate monthly to keep The Rant going if I thought most everyone else would, but obviously the more Ranters, the easier it would be.

Me too.

Mebbe even create some sort of IRS approval to write RR funding as charitable for tax deductions. Win-win. But even if not tax deductible, I'ld still contribute.

It's like the vanpool - the more the riders, the less the fare.

I'd chip in. If it's nothing but a money issue and if Doug will accept money from us to keep this forum online.

We've got about three days to make something happen. Wanna fire him an email and hope he reads it in time, Jeffery?

I tweeted to him but yes, maybe an email is a good idea too.

Haven't been very active here lately, most haven't I guess. But I share the universal sentiment that all of you are regarded as friends in one way or another. I've met three of you in person, and have always wanted to go visit Greger, to eat his cooking and enjoy the company a real grounded native philosopher.

I'm more short on time than at any other period of my life, but RR is a rock to come back to often. I'd chip in, too, if that was the ticket.

I have been an infrequent contributor for some time, and greatly regret it. This is by far the best discussion site I've ever been involved in, which is why I was willing to agree to be a Moderator all those decades ago, now.

I have had conniptions the last couple of times there was a hiccup on the server - I follow, even when I don't post. I am in the process of setting up a website for my family. I might consider the same process for us, here, but it would take some pretty quick manipulation to get it set up before Saturday! I just have a hard time thinking of y'all not being a part of my life as you have been for nearly half of it.

For those of you who might be interested, I'm going to do something dangerous and post an e-mail here for communicating. ANWGuy2d@gmail.com. I don't know how we might share the registration list or set up an announcement for invitations, given some pretty serious privacy concerns, but given the relatively small membership at present, I think we might be able to figure something out.

I am not a site administrator of any kind, and I have no idea how big the archives are, but I can see the prospect of at least having a mail group for the most die-hard of us. I know the administrators, especially Doug, have taken the bulk of the labor in keeping the Rant going, and it is tremendously appreciated.

Has anybody talked to Doug? If it's just a matter of cash I think we can fix it.

If we can I'd like to keep it up and running a little longer so we can make a transition without having to shut down.

But we need Doug's input so we can work out the details.